Silence of the Lambs - redux






June 30th, 2012.  Assuming that summer is at hand - even if skies are cloudy, temperatures slouchy and an ambience suggesting early spring -  Lesley inspires me to struggle on, to make the best of the situation, so we ship off to the annual Canada Day Lamb Roast on Saturna Island.

To lift spirits and help our passage we press-gang those formidable life-forces, Sue and Jeff Quinton. Crew onboard off we ship at noon loaded for food and fun - containers of food for Jeff's famous eggs benedict (twenty servings with minosas for Canada Day morning) and one ponderously large cardboard box filled with various alcoholic drinks.

Tacking up Cowichan Bay and nearing Cape Keppel we espy old friend, Abdi, now newly rigged, coming out of the rain and mist with her crew, Fred and Judy, heading off to Winter Cove. 


Anya clears Cape Keppel, then Portland Island and on beyond South Pender, rounding up into Plumper Sound.  Closing on our destination I spy a reef menacing the entrance to Winter Cove.  These rocks became famous late one summer's night when, it is said, a large sailing vessel, the Robertson II, took a hasty short cut, ultimately foundering and sinking on the reef.

 I was the man to handle Reef Robbie II so I took the helm, skirting the reef on my starboard when, eyes popping and pants pooping, I noticed a vicious reef awash close off on my port.  Eyes glued to the depth meter, timidly I groped through a shallow gap and safely into Winter Cove.



  There where we found other Cowichan Bay luminaries - on the left Bill and Sue (sounds like a law firm's name), then Abdi and Barca II all rafted up to the mother ship - Mermaid 1.  Anya rafted up to Barca II, yacht to Barry, a notable local parrothead. Then Anya's captain and crew head for Mermaid I where the party was under way.

Here we found Captain Currie and his
lovely accomplice Shelby hosting the feast and party. Pete rejoices in the background.

After feasting and drinking the sun falls into the horizon and everyone watches what might have been summer's first best sunset.

 
 
Barry's boat, now becomes the  party boat, gathers the late night hard-partiers for one last glimpse of the sun before diving back into the sauce.

And Canada Day collapses into July 2.